


Rainbow Kisses

by iKnowHowToDuck



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bisexuality, Coming Out, F/F, Homosexuality, I made up some biology, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-19 14:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13706574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iKnowHowToDuck/pseuds/iKnowHowToDuck
Summary: Henry has an announcement to make and he's worried about the repercussions.Little does he know it may end up being what finally brings his Moms together.





	1. Introduction/Explanation

**Author's Note:**

> So, before I get into the actual story, I'm going to explain all the biology I made up. The key part here is that I made it up. Please do not use this as any basis for any real opinion on how sexuality works. If you want an actual resource for how sexuality and genetics are related, here's some explanations that I like:  
> [ Born this way? an evolutionary view of 'gay genes' ](http://theconversation.com/born-this-way-an-evolutionary-view-of-gay-genes-26051)
> 
>  
> 
> [ The science of sexual orientation, here's what we know ](http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2015/06/11/the_science_of_sexual_orientation_the_latest_on_genes_chromosomes_and_environmental.html)

So let me lay out the wonky rules of this world:

REMEMBER: THIS IS NOT HOW SEXUAL ORIENTATION ACTUALLY WORKS AND IS NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, THIS IS A MADE UP WORLD FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS FANFICTION.

 

Sexual orientation is a simple genetic trait (It is genetic, but not simple) that follows the basic structure of Mendelian genetics, but is codominant so basically there is a gay allele and a straight allele. There are three phenotypes created by combinations of these alleles SS- Straight, SG- Bisexual, and GG- Gay (There are obviously many more complicated sexualities that I will not be addressing in this fic because I am limited in my knowledge of biology)

-Two straight parents will produce a straight child

-One straight parent and one bisexual parent will produce a straight or bisexual child

-Two bisexual parents will produce a bisexual, straight, or gay child

-One bisexual parent and one gay parent will produce a gay or bisexual child

-One straight parent and one gay parent will produce a bisexual child

-Two gay parents will produce a gay child

Now obviously the last three options are rather improbable, but not impossible. Two gay people of the opposite gender could still be married and produce a child. But in this lovely magical world, there are also other ways! YAY! Read the story to figure it all out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you have questions or if something I said made no sense at all!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the first chapter! Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters but I do own my mistakes. Let me know if you see any that bug you!

Everything was going perfectly for Operation Bottlenose Dolphin. Regina is making lasagna, and Emma should be driving over right now. He had decided to tell Regina and Emma together, cause it just seemed right. He would deal with all the grandparents later. He just had to get through tonight, and then everything would be perfect. Right? His moms are accepting and will love him no matter what. He knows this. So why is his heart beating so fast and his hands sweating so much? He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of the doorbell, followed by Regina's shout from the kitchen, "Henry, can you get the door? My hands are a bit full with the lasagna." He shouted down a quick affirmative and then ran to get the door, where by now Emma was using the doorbell to play the tune of something Disney, the lion king perhaps?

"Hey Ma! Come right in!" 

"Hey Kid! Thanks for inviting me tonight!"

He made no reply. He stared straight ahead and then lead Emma to the kitchen where Regina was. Once she started talking to Regina, he waited half a minute and then quickly retreated to his room, mumbling something about trying to finish his homework before dinner.

As he rushed up the stairs, he heard Emma ask Regina quietly, "What's up with the kid?"

Damn. Apparently he had inherited Emma's subtlety. 

Within the safety of his own room, he brooded quietly about how this was going to go. Ordinarily, Regina is the parent he would be more concerned about, but he knew what this news would mean for Emma. He is bisexual. He has spent a year internally fighting with himself on the issue, fighting his crushes, hating himself, and then finally coming to this place of acceptance. A happy place which he is venturing out of today on the risk of telling his moms. Because Henry is a smart kid. He knows that for him to be bisexual, either one of his parents has to be gay, or they both have to be bisexual. Working with the assumption that he has, that Neal was straight, because, let's be real, Henry is now well-versed in stereotypes and if Neal wasn't the perfect stereotypical white dude, he doesn't know who is. He only wishes Neal was still alive to confirm these thoughts, because he knows Emma will have trouble accepting all this without proof. Her style of investigation is often too evidence oriented for her own good. Then, of course, one of his grandparents has to be bisexual. And Henry feels a huge weight on his shoulders for being the carrier of all this news. And as if that weren’t enough, he’s coming out to his moms tonight. 

His thoughts were interrupted by Regina’s call to dinner. He takes the steps one at a time, even though the smell of homemade lasagna begs him to go faster. Tonight is the absolute deadline that he’s set for himself, but that doesn’t mean he won’t continue to delay the inevitable as long as possible. Regina and Emma seem to notice, and they share a look. Halfway through a dinner of much too formal small talk, the question “how was your day?” has been exhausted in all its possibilities, and it seems that without this crutch, no one dares to speak. Finally, Emma clears her throat awkwardly and makes an attempt to daintily wipe her mouth with a napkin before speaking: 

“Henry, uh, your Mom and I are a bit concerned about your behaviour this evening. Is something the matter?”

“No…”

“Well, is there something you want to tell us?” Regina adds, seeing right through his concealment. 

“Yes”

Regina and Emma wait patiently, but the silence seems to be suffocating, even for them. They try prompting him again, to no avail. 

“How ‘bout some dessert then, eh, kid? Regina and I will go conjure up some root beer floats and then you can tell us over dessert, O.K.?”

He’s grateful for the time it gives him to collect himself. When they return, he feels ready. As ready as he’ll ever be, anyway. He digs into his root beer float with relish, savouring the sweet taste to cancel out the bitterness that the pessimist in him fears is about to come. 

“So, Moms, I have a bit of an announcement. Yeah, um, so, basically, I’m bisexual.” As he says it, he can feel the weight lifting off his shoulders but at the same time he can feel it settling in his stomach. He waits anxiously for them to show a response, any response. It feels like a lifetime and not like a few hundred milliseconds as he watches them swallow the information along with the vanilla cream. Emma, the one less skilled at hiding her emotions, displays a reaction first. He sees the shock, hurt, and pride register across her face all at once. A second passes by, and she seems to find the true weight of the statement for the only thing that registers on her face is confusion. She mumbles an excuse, then practically bolts out of the room. Henry can’t say he’s pleased with this turn of events, but he was prepared for something of the sort. He knows not to take it personally, that this is just Emma and running away is how she copes with things. But somewhere inside him, that uncertainty lingers, the one that he hoped he would never feel after today. Putting that aside, he faces the mom in front of him. Regina. She seems to finally be ready to speak, Emma’s exit having prompted something in her. 

“Don’t worry about that, she’ll be back, and she loves and accepts you unconditionally and just as much as I do. But, I have to say, I do have some questions.”

“Okay.” Her words reassure him to an extent, but he knows that the questions, although he was prepared for them, will prolong this moment, and he just wants to be out of the limelight and to curl up into a little ball under his blanket and cry tears of…. something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! I should have an update tomorrow (no promises though)
> 
> Penny for your thoughts!*
> 
> *I would actually give you a penny, but I have no way to get it to you. Sorry. Please comment anyway!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The second chapter! Hope you enjoy!

Regina is processing what her son told her. Of course, her love for her son is unconditional. But she can’t help having a few doubts. Questions were swarming in her brain, and she takes a moment to collect her thoughts before posing any of her questions to Henry. So… 

“How long have you known?”

“Um, well, I guess I first had the thought almost a year ago now. But it was a long journey from there to accepting it, and you know, really being able to use the label. I’ve been wanting to tell you for about four months, and before that, I wasn’t really sure enough of myself to “know,” if you know what I mean.”

It appears Henry, just like his mother, has a tendency to ramble when he’s nervous, and while it’s adorable, Regina doesn’t want him to be frightened. “You can relax Henry. This is not an interrogation, just curiosity, so don’t feel like you have to defend yourself, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. Thanks mom. For everything.”

“Thank you for sharing this with us. I know it can’t have been easy. Speaking of which, out of curiosity, how did you know?”

“Well, I knew what being bisexual was, cause, you know, there’s a GSA at my school and they put up posters and stuff. But I never thought to associate it with me because I considered myself straight. It’s actually a very interesting thing, you know, like innocent until proven guilty, people believe themselves to be straight until proven otherwise. And most people don’t ever think to question their straightness, and actually, most people who seriously question it are not straight. But yeah, I just assumed I was straight because I had no reason not to, and I don’t think I realized a lot of what I knew about LGBTQ+ people was based on stereotypes, and not even the super harmful ones, but just like, gay dudes are super feminine and all that, and because I wasn’t, I believed myself to be straight. And I also had wrong opinions about the binary, like, you either were gay or straight, and that’s a really harmful thing to believe because it creates stuff like bi erasure, which is especially hard for bisexual men, whom many people actually really believe are a myth. So yeah, I was just operating on the opinion that I was straight, and then one day I realized I was like admiring another guy in class, and that really confused me because it was during the time I had a crush on Paige, and that was what sparked the whole journey.”

Regina was listening closely, and she was really, really proud of Henry. She felt his words tug at her heartstrings; she just felt insanely proud that she could raise a boy as self aware and as thoughtful as Henry. 

“So what was the journey like?” She asked, encouraging him to keep going with the story, she was rather enchanted with it. 

“At first, it was full of a lot of denial. Because with only one view of the world, it’s very difficult to know what is appreciating the beauty of a person of the same sex in a platonic or straight way, and what is appreciating the beauty of a person of the same sex in a romantic or gay way. And of course, I initially thought maybe I was gay, and I tried that label on for a while, but it didn’t fit. I took all these stupid online quizzes that are completely inaccurate but helpful nonetheless in figuring out feelings. I kept trying to get the label gay to fit, but it was making me erase all the crushes I had on females, and then I didn’t even know what a crush was any more, and what was just me making up crushes to fit into certain labels. So I decided I would stop the overthinking for a while and just wait for feelings to appear. I still felt stuff for Paige, but I could also feel this… potential to feel stuff for certain guys in my class as well. And then my crush on Paige just eventually faded away and I developed a crush on Noah. And it took a lot of convincing myself then to realize that both crushes were genuine, and that they weren’t mutually exclusive, that they could peacefully coexist. I read all about bisexuality, and the more I read, the more the label seemed to fit me. But there were also these huge periods of doubt, were I felt like I was going back to the beginning and would have to start all over. Eventually the forward moving trend won out, and well, here we are.”

Again, Regina felt that pride resonate with her. His words seemed to resonate with her on every level in fact, and she tried not to think too hard about what that meant. She had always appreciated women’s natural beauty, but that was in a normal way. Of course it was. Like, Emma was a beautiful woman, but that didn’t mean Regina was attracted to her. But just because She wasn’t attracted to the other woman, didn’t mean she couldn’t notice or appreciate how beautiful she was. Anyone with eyes could see that Emma is beautiful, but that didn’t mean that person’s sexuality was any different than they had ever assumed it to be. These are all perfectly normal straight thoughts. Perfectly normal straight thoughts, just like Henry had said. But then again, Henry wouldn’t really know about being straight…

Realizing a moment too late that she had been silent too long, she meets Henry’s worried gaze. 

“Sorry, Henry, that was just, a really beautiful story. I’m so proud of you, I hope you know that.” 

“I know, Mom.” 

Henry smiles a bright smile at her but he still looks older than she’s ever seen him. Her baby boy is all grown up, and she resists the urge to shed a tear. Because her baby boy is all grown up, but she couldn’t be prouder of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'd love it if you took a second to leave kudos or a comment. Let me hear your thoughts! It keeps me inspired :)
> 
> I should definitely have the next chapter up tomorrow, and it might even be tonight if everything works out :)
> 
> Also, feel free to point out any mistakes or bits that didn't resonate with you. I want to make this as accurate and as good as it can be, so feedback is always appreciated in any form :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Here it is! Sorry it took longer than expected. Enjoy!

“Mom?” Henry asked tentatively, breaking the now comfortable silence. 

“Yes, dear?” Regina replied rather automatically.

“Can we go find Emma now?”

“Yes, dear, I think that would be best. We’re not letting run away from us.”

“I mean, I get it, it’s a lot to take in,” Henry replied, shuffling his feet, “Do you know where she might be?”

“I have a few ideas.”

Emma, as it turned out, was by the docks, just as Regina had initially suspected. She sat on the edge of the water, her feet dangling of the water. She looked extremely majestic in that pose, free from the duties of her life, her hair tumbling freely across her shoulders at the mere suggestion of the sea breeze. Regina felt the need to announce her presence, to end the uncertain depth of the moment. 

“I hope you’re not planning on taking a swim in this weather.”

Emma doesn’t start, doesn’t turn. She knew they would come for her. Realizing they won’t approach her, she slowly tucks her feet back underneath her and rises, turning to face them. Regina and Henry. Her family. She should have known, should have recognized that what she felt for Regina was more than friendship. However, she had had very few friends in her life, and, apparently, she had never had romance, so really what could she possibly know. She found herself encapsulated by Regina’s beauty in a way she never had been before. Or, she had been, but not consciously, not able to really enjoy it. But, no, because even if she is gay, which, yeah, that makes some sense, there is no way that Regina is into women, and she doesn’t want to ruin a perfectly good friendship by turning it into a crush. 

Regina meets Emma’s eyes. She knows how difficult this must be. No, she doesn’t know. She imagines. She heard Henry’s story and it got to her because nobody would be immune to a story as powerful as that. She didn’t relate to the story at all. She simply listened carefully because she is his mother, and it’s her job to support him. And any feelings she is registering for Emma is just a really strong connection born from everything they’ve been through together. She thought Emma was beautiful because Emma is beautiful. But that’s it. That’s all this is. Nothing more. And yet, as she locks her brown eyes into soft green ones, all she wants to do is pull Emma close and hold her tightly. But those are perfectly normal friendship thoughts. She’s just feeling the urge to provide comfort to a friend in need. 

At that exact moment, Emma puts out her arms. Regina is surprised, but starts to lean forward anyways, before she notices that Henry is in the way. Oh. Emma was hugging Henry, not her. Of course. Only the natural thing to do, after all. And Regina must have been really, really lost in her thoughts, because Emma and Henry were carrying a conversation that Regina hadn’t even noticed had started. But now, she listened closely, trying to follow what was happening. 

“Yeah, I mean, I have to admit, I was pretty worried about how you might react.”

“Oh, Henry, I would never-”

“Not to me! But, you know, to you. I mean, what I’m trying to say here is, I think it’s pretty clear that Neal was straight…”

“Which makes me gay.”

“Yeah, but, don’t view it as another label that was forced upon you by others that you have to live up to, like the Saviour thing. Just, think back through your life with this in mind, and I bet you’ll find a lot of evidence, you know, a lot of moments that you didn’t understand then but that you do now.”

“...I already have, kid. I already have.”

No one seemed to have a proper response to that, and they were all silent for a while, just breathing in the starry night. Emma was thinking back to all those younger versions of herself who had crushed on other girls, only to have her heart broken when she confided in someone and got terrorized for it. Once, she had even had to move homes because of it. But she had all but blocked those memories out, chalking it up to a desperate need for friends that she had innocently mistaken as a crush, in those days before she learned that a crush was between a girl and a boy, and anything else was just strong feelings of friendship. Now, she had to rewrite everything. It was dizzying.

There were other, more subtle clues for Emma as well. Times when she thought: it’s too bad I can’t date girls, I would be so good at it. Times when she thought: it’s too bad I can’t be with Regina, because then Henry would have a stable home life where he didn’t have to be shepherded between two homes. Every time she admired how beautiful a girl or woman was. Every time she admired how drop-dead gorgeous Regina was. Gods, she was in so much trouble. 

“So?” Henry quietly ventured.

Having looked internally, Emma now looked at Regina and Henry in turn, locking eyes with each of them. All she saw there was love. There was no expectation, no judgement. Just love. And she had never been a part of such pure acceptance. She had never been allowed to just be who she was. And maybe that’s why she never fully understood who she was before. 

“Yeah. I’m gay.”

And then, what Emma saw in Henry and Regina’s eyes was pride, and she felt it shine through her own teary orbs. She was proud of herself, and she was so, so proud of Henry. Towards Regina, she felt only gratitude. 

They walked together down the pier, and Reigna held onto one of Henry’s hands, and Emma held the other, and it was the perfect family sandwich, and Emma only wished in that moment that Henry was smaller, so they could swing him. She only wished that their family unit could become a daily occurence, that Regina could ever feel the same way about her as Emma felt about Regina. The moment lasted until they reached the part where their paths inevitably diverged. Something in the atmosphere changed, and Henry noticed that Emma and Regina both instantly tightened their grip on him, before Emma dropped her hand out of his completely, though somewhat reluctantly. And Emma was about to say goodnight, but before she could force the words out, Regina spoke:

“You know, you could always stay over with us, if you wanted. We could use the time together, I think, and I can imagine that you might not want to go back to your parents’ place right now.”

“Really? That’s so kind, thank you Regina.”

And then:

Oh shit, her parents. Because if she was gay, that meant...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Let me know if you did by leaving a kudos, or even a comment if you've got the time and you really wanna make my day :)
> 
> Also leave a comment if you want to influence where this is going, disagree with something I've said, or want to let me know that I've made a grammar or spelling mistake. All opinions welcome! :)
> 
> Next chapter should be up tomorrow :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I want to thank everyone who had commented or left kudos so far. It really keeps me inspired and writing.
> 
> Second, I want to apologize for how late this update is. Sorry! I hope this chapter will maybe kinda make up for it?
> 
> Enjoy!

One of the consequences of believing she was an orphan for 27 years was that Emma wa not used to thinking about her parents in times like these. But now it was all she could think about. Because if she was gay, her parents were not straight. Or, maybe it was a mutation. Those happened right? But she was pretty sure those were really rare, and, let’s face it, she was already enough of an oddity. Thinking back to what she knew about genetics, Emma realized that given that her parents were True Loves and therefore neither of them could be gay, they both had to be bisexual. But did they know? And if they did why didn’t they say anything? Even if they were bisexual, there was only a 25% chance that their child would have been gay, so Emma understands why they might not have felt the need to tell her. On the other hand, there was a 75% percent chance that any child they had would not have been straight, so her parents owe her an explanation. 

These were the thoughts running through Emma’s head as she walked with Henry and Regina to Regina’s place. It helped her take her mind off the fact that she was going to be spending the night in such close proximity to Regina, right after she had discovered she was gay, right after she had realized that her feelings for the other woman were more than just friendship. 

When they arrived at Regina’s, Emma went straight back to retrieve her root beer float, as she had abandoned it earlier. The ice cream had melted, but it was still good, and Emma seriously needed the sugar. Alcohol would be better, but at this point, she was desperate and would take anything she could get.

Henry disappeared upstairs for a while, showering and getting ready for bed. He came down specially to say goodnight to his moms because after today he was seeking just a little more affection. It had been a long day, and he thanked his earlier self for choosing a Friday on which to come out, because he was really grateful it was the weekend. After hugging both his moms and wishing them a good night, Henry made his way upstairs, and, instead of killing time online like he normally would on a Friday night, he just slipped under the covers and went to sleep. 

Downstairs, Emma was quietly freaking out, but not nearly as much as Regina was. Regina was just better at hiding it. She had never meant to invite Emma over, the words had kinda just slipped out, in an effort to try to prevent that sad look on Emma’s face. And now, Emma was here, and Regina was questioning her sexuality, and if she wasn’t straight than she definitely has feelings for Emma. But if she is straight isn’t that a weird thought to have? To buy herself time to think, Regina offers to make Emma some hot chocolate, and Emma gladly accepts, so Regina busies herself with a pan on the stove and she puts on a kettle of tea for herself.   
As Regina works her magic (not literally, she needs all the stalling time she can get) in the kitchen, she thinks about what Henry said. About how trying to make himself fit into certain sexualities had forced him to try to invalidate crushes. Regina had never considered that she could be gay because of how strong her love was for Daniel. And automatically she had thought herself straight. If she had ever considered herself in any other way afterwards, the line of thinking would quickly be squashed by thoughts of Daniel. But, perhaps because of this “bi erasure” that Henry had mentioned, she had never considered that she might have interest in both genders. It made a certain amount of sense, she supposed. It would validate her love for Daniel as well as her whatever-her-feelings-were for Emma. She never considered that those things could coexist, but maybe…

When the hot chocolate (with cinnamon, of course) and tea is ready and Regina can find no reasons to delay any longer, she carries the beverages out to the living room where Emma has made herself comfortable on the sofa, but has not turned on the television as she normally might. It makes sense, she probably needed the time to think as well. 

“Your hot chocolate’s ready.”

“With-?”

“Cinnamon, yes dear, of course.” 

“Sorry, old habits.”

After that, the comfortable silence stretched on to a point where it was no longer comfortable, and Regina felt the need to say something. Of course, there were many things that she wanted to say, but couldn’t yet. 

“Do you want the guest room or the couch?”

“As much as I love this couch, I’ll take the guest room.” Emma said, winking.

She winked. She literally winked. I mean who actually winks these days when they’re not making some dumb innuendo or flirting badly. Although, Regina supposed that Emma could be flirting badly, after all… No. She would not go there, it would just make things harder on herself.  
Needing a break, Regina excused herself to go make up the guest room. She was just fluffing the pillows when Emma arrived in the doorway, having finished her hot chocolate. 

“Hey, do you have any pajamas I can borrow? I didn’t exactly pack for a sleepover.”

Regina raised her eyebrow just slightly at the other woman, wondering if she had forgotten that she could just summon the pajamas from her own room. 

“Yes, of course, dear. And there’s a spare toothbrush in the guest bath as well.”

“Thanks so much, Regina,” Emma said, following Regina to her room to retrieve the pajamas, “And thanks for.. inviting me.”

“You’re quite welcome.” Regina said, handing over the pajamas while she said it, but making it clear in her expression that she was responding to both admissions of gratitude. 

“I’ll just, go change then.”

While Emma went to change, Regina changed into her own pajamas, opting for a silk nightgown and robe instead of the silk pajama set she had given to Emma. When Emma returned, she couldn’t help admiring how Emma managed to make such elegant pajamas look cute. It might have been her hair, lightly tousled over her shoulders, or the fact the the pajamas were just a little bit too short. Something about her, leaning on the frame of the doorway to Regina’s bedroom, wearing her pajamas, well,

“Emma, I think I’m bisexual.” Regina did not mean to say that. She definitely, definitely did not mean to say that. She hadn’t even admitted it to herself, why was she saying it to Emma? And why does Emma have a weird look on her face, and why has she straightened up all of a sudden? She can’t be homophobic, right? That wouldn’t make any sense. Not after today. And her questions only increased when Emma took a step closer instead of turning away. But then Emma was leaning in and—oh. That’s why. And Regina barely had time to register what was happening before she closed her eyes on instinct and felt Emma’s lips on hers. 

It was the kiss to end all kisses, and yet, it was just a ghost of a kiss. It was everything Regina could have wanted in a kiss, but she wanted so much more of it. Emma tasted of mint, and her lips were soft but insistent. But Regina wasn’t fooled, she knew Emma was feeling just as timid as she was. It was Emma who pulled away, searching Regina’s eyes for a clue of what all this meant. Regina couldn’t tell if she found anything, but she seemed content, and she offered a soft “Goodnight, Regina.” before retreating back to her room. 

Regina stood there for a while, smiling and touching her fingers to her lips, as if to search there for evidence that this was real, that she had really been kissed by Emma Swan. 

She had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! Let me know if you did, if you didn't, if you agreed with something or didn't. If you caught a mistake I made and you want to point it out to me because it bothers you. If you need life advice, anything really. Let me know in the comments. 
> 
> And if you've got nothing to say but enjoyed it anyway, take a sec to leave me a kudos. 
> 
> The next update will be tomorrow, and hopefully earlier in the day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Sorry for the late night update once again!
> 
> WARNING: There is a very small mention of abuse in this chapter. It's a half a line mention with no real details, but I'm still giving the warning. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Oh, and thanks to everyone who had read and supported this story so far :)

Emma woke the next morning still trying to sift through the occurrences of last night. Her instinct was to flee, to hide hide from confessions and feelings, and confrontations. She tried to fight that instinct for as long as she could. In the end she gathered enough strength to leave two notes, one for Henry and one for Regina. To Henry, she wrote:

_Morning kid!_

_Hope you slept well and are having a good weekend so far. I’m leaving, just want to take a little walk and clear my head. No need to worry, I’ll be back soon._

_Love you bunches,_

_Emma_

Emma wrote several drafts to Regina, each one she incinerated with magic, before she finally settled on:

_Dear Regina,_

_Good morning. I’ve gone for a walk. If you want to talk, I’ll be in our spot. If you don’t want to it’s fine, and we’ll just move on and please don’t try to bring it up. Either way, I’ll be back in a couple of hours._

_All my best,_

_Emma_

Emma wanted to sign the note “Love, Emma” but she was unsure whether Regina would interpret that as romantic love or platonic love. And to be honest, she wasn’t even sure which one she meant. A little of both, maybe?

Sneaking out into the hallway, she folded the notes and shoved each one under the respective doors of the person for whom they were intended. 

Regina wasted an hour by being asleep. Despite popular belief, Regina was not naturally a morning person, she had just trained herself to be one over the year. As a result, she often slept late on weekends, and this weekend was no exception. When she woke, she got up and was surprised to find a piece of paper on the floor. She was usually more diligent about recycling. Silently admonishing herself, she crumpled up the paper, tossing it in without looking at it. If it was important, she wouldn’t have left it on the floor. 

Regina went to try to deduce if either Henry or Emma were awake yet. She suspected Henry was, as he was generally a morning person. The light spilling out around the edges confirmed her belief. Content with that information, she moved on to the end of the hallway to see if Emma was awake yet. She found that the door was open, and Emma had vacated the room. 

Regina’s heart was beating faster in her chest. She hoped this wasn’t Emma running away from her. Mentally crossing her fingers, she made her way downstairs. And there was no sign of Emma. Her shoes and coat were gone. Well, she thought bitterly, at least the woman had the  
sense to wear a coat in this freezing weather. 

Regina willed herself not to show emotion as she made her way back to Henry’s room. She reminded herself that love is weakness. She heard her mother’s voice screaming those words at her as she used magic to beat her. Love is weakness. Not that she was in love with Emma anyway, 

Regina waited for Henry to respond as she knocked on his door.

“Come in.”

Henry was on his bed, reading. 

“Emma-”

“Went for a walk, I know. She left me a note too.”

“Oh, okay,” Regina was startled by this new information. Emma had left Henry a note and not her? Granted, Henry always came first, but she liked to imagine that she came second. She took a beat to reel in her thoughts before speaking, “Well, I was just wondering what you would like for breakfast?”

“Pancakes?”

“You got it.” She smiled, genuinely, before leaving the room to give herself some time to think. If Emma didn’t leave her a note, that meant she was running, if only temporarily. She walked back to her room sullenly, trying to imagine what a note that Emma left would have said anyway. How she would have slipped a note under the door, and inside it would be confessions of love. Absentmindedly, she wished that the paper she found on her floor this morning, and wished it had been a note from Emma. Although, come to think of it, she hadn’t looked at the paper. 

Not allowing herself to raise her hopes, Regina calmly walked over to the recycling bin. She uncrumpled the paper, and discovering that it was in fact a note from Emma, she hungrily devoured the words. She then reread them. Wasting no time, she made her way downstairs, where she pulled out a few bowls, before going back up to Henry and informing him that they were out of a few ingredients and and she was going to the store to get them. 

She left the house, and got in the car, so as to keep with her cover story to Henry, even though she cursed the delay it caused and itched to use her magic to transport herself there before Emma gave up and walked away. She drove to the mines, to their spot. At first, she was unsure what spot Emma could mean, for they had many, but none of them made such a good meeting place as this one. Besides, she felt like it was the first place where she and Emma had really understood each other. 

When she arrived, she let out a breath as she caught sight of the blonde, sitting cross-legged on the ground, and looking defeated. Her shoulders were slumped, and it was clear that she had given up on waiting for Regina. As Regina approached, Emma got up without seeing her and started to walk away. 

“Emma!” Regina called in desperation. “Emma!”  
Emma, instead of continuing to walk away, disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Regina felt devastated. Now, Emma might not know, and worse, she might not let Regina prove it to her. She may have just missed her chance. She slumped to the ground, defeated, echoing Emma’s position from just moments earlier. 

But Emma must have heard something of Regina’s call in the moment before she disappeared. And she was just hopeful around to go back to investigate. And she was grateful she did, for she found Regina, slumped down on the grass in defeat. 

“Regina?”

Regina elegantly leapt to her feet, spinning to face Emma, all in one fluid move. “Emma?”

“You came.”

“I came.”

“I think… I think this is the place where I fell in love with you.” Emma admits, and the admission seems to make her shy, for she ducks her head. Fortunately for Regina, who for once was not wearing heels in her rush to leave, that made Emma the perfect height to step in and kiss her. And kiss her she did. 

Their second kiss was more passionate than the first, but it still retained the element of softness and conveyed a message between them. The message that whatever this was, it was more than just one kiss. Or two, for that matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Let me know any of your thoughts! About anything! If you agree or disagree, liked or disliked, I'd love to hear what you have to say. And if you just want life advice or want to talk about something only tangentially related, I'm here for that too. :) 
> 
> The next update will be posted tomorrow. Probably 24 hours or so from now, but I'll try my best to make it sooner.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this at 10:40, yet again. I'm disappointed in me. You should be too. Have a super fluffy chapter to make up for it. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has left kudos, a comment, bookmarked, or even just read this story. Y'all inspire me to keep writing, even if it happens to be super late when that inspiration hits. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Regina ensured Emma that they would talk, but that first they should return to Regina’s and have pancakes with their son. Emma couldn’t help but agree. Regina drove back, having to go to the store and pick up some ingredients she didn’t need so as not to look suspicious. Emma was tired and forgoed walking in favor of poofing herself a block away from the house and then walking the rest of the way.

Emma arrived first. She greeted Henry with a hug, and inquired about the whereabouts of Regina. Henry informed her that Regina had gone to the grocery store to grab some ingredients for pancakes, which of course Emma already knew. Or at least, she knew that that was what Regina had told Henry, and that was why Regina was at the store right now grabbing some unnecessary bags of flour off the shelf. 

Emma and Henry had started talking on the couch to pass the time, and that of course had led to a video game competition. More specifically, Mario Kart. Emma was terrible, especially for someone who was a licensed driver. Henry was a lot better, but he often crashed into walls and off edges of the course. The winner of the previous game got to pick the next course. Emma, remarkably, won a game (well, she got second to last, but Henry got last, so technically she won), and spent a long time looking over her options before finally selecting a course. Henry viewed her choice with displeasure. 

“You know Rainbow Road is the hardest course, right?”

“Yeah but it’s also the gayest course.”

“Courses don’t have sexualities.”

“Come on Henry, it’s a literal freaking rainbow!”

“Rainbows aren’t gay, they’re just a symbol of gay pride.”

“They are too gay! Have you ever asked a rainbow about it’s sexual orientation?”

“No, because rainbows can’t talk, and they can’t have sexual orientations.”

“If you’ve never asked, how can you be sure?”

“How can you be sure?”

“I once had a very deep and personal conversation with a rainbow in a bar,” Emma stated, firm in her belief that she was winning. For dramatic effect, she whispered “He was pretty drunk, too.”

“You had a conversation with a rainbow in a bar, and the rainbow was the drunk one?”

“Hey, I never said I wasn’t drunk.”

They were so absorbed in their banter that they failed to notice that Regina had entered a while ago, and was just standing in the doorway watching them. They had also failed to notice that the game had started and that the CPUs had already lapped them twice. Emma, noticing the former, pressed down on her controller, and lasted about twenty seconds before she fell of the edge and into space, where she was retrieved by and over-happy flying turtle. Henry, however, had noticed the latter, and got up to greet his mom without bothering to pause the game. Emma noticed and gave Regina a small wave without taking her eyes off the screen. She was going to win this. 

As it turned out, Emma came in third to last, and the person in last had never started the game. So really she was just second to last. But to her, it was victory, and required celebration. She ran over to Henry where he sat at the kitchen bar, chatting with Regina, and interrupted their conversation to gloat:

“I won at rainbow road! I’m the gayest!” She singsonged.

“You may be the gayest, but I’m the bi-est!

“You know that just sounds like biased.”

“You’re right…” He thought about it for a moment. “You know what I am?”

“Bisexual? We had this conversation already, kid.” Emma replied, a teasing smile on her face. 

“I’m the Best Bi.” He said, smug grin firmly in place. 

At which point they both burst out laughing, which delayed Emma’s comeback: “You really wanna compare yourself to a store that no one actually buys anything from?”

The banter continued, and Regina wished she could find her place in it. She wished she knew what her place was. She wished she could playfully fight Henry for the title of Best Bi while never truly breaking away from Emma’s side. She wished she could be at Emma’s side, in front of Henry, freely. She paused to wonder if Emma even wanted her by her side. This was the problem with delaying their talk, she thought grumpily to herself. If only she had woken up sooner. 

Eventually, the appearance of the pancakes distracted Henry and Emma from their banter. At that point, Regina was welcomed back into the conversation with open arms. They ate hungrily, mostly because it was around eleven at that point and they were all starved, but also because Regina’s pancakes were really really good, and what were the weekends for if not for brunches?

But while both Henry and Emma had moved on along with the conversation, Regina was still stuck in that moment, replaying it over and over in her head, wishing that she had spoken up, had had a clever coming out moment that would’ve impressed her son and then sparked part of the conversation she had been so longing for. But part of her didn’t wish she had spoken up, rewarded her for staying quiet, as she had learned long ago that one should be with a secret. That part of her was the part ingrained in her by her mother’s reign, and that part was the part that told her that she wasn’t actually bisexual, that this was just an infatuation that would pass, and that being bisexual was wrong and not at all befitting of a queen. Regina, however, failed to realize that the voice inside her mind was her mother’s and not her own. She failed to see the rational view of it, instead accepting the one that had been unknowingly forced upon her. She was not bisexual. She couldn’t be bisexual. She harbored none of these feelings toward Emma or Henry, but inside her grew a strong hatred for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so there's a good bit of angst at the end. But it was still like 90% fluff. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! If you did, leave a comment or a kudos (or both!) If you didn't, leave a comment and tell me why :) 
> 
> Next update will be tomorrow at some point.


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